Assembly honors science teacher with videos and song

Science teacher Jim Brink, who died in a car accident on Nov. 12, was honored with videos, pictures and songs during the 1st and 3rd Wednesday Assembly on Nov. 19.

Students and faculty stood and sang “Let It Be” by the Beatles as the lyrics were projected on the screen.

Max Cho ’15 and Nick Baron ’15 produced a time lapse video showing students placing Post-It notes on the door of the science offices with messages remembering Brink. More than 105 notes were posted. Prefect Council also produced a video showing screenshots of social media posts in honor of Brink.

“I thought the assembly was very powerful and meaningful. The slideshow was a great way to remember his life,” Carly Levitt ’17 said. “He was a great man and a great teacher. I know that he is missed dearly throughout the community.”

A memorial service will be held at 4 p.m. Thursday in St. Saviour’s Chapel on the upper school campus.

Because the chapel is expected to fill up, there will be an audio feed to the plaza outside the chapel and a video-audio feed to the Feldman-Horn Gallery and Feldman-Horn 107.

The first half of the service will be inside the chapel and then will move outdoors to the plaza, where there will be an open mic for those who wish to speak.

Commons announced Brinks’ death at an 8 a.m. assembly Nov. 13.

“Our hearts go out to his wife, children, and family, including his brother-in-law, our colleague, [Senior Alumni Officer] Harry Salamandra,” Commons and Head of School Jeanne Huybrechts said in a letter to the community. “We are grateful for the goodness and strength of the Harvard-Westlake community every day, but especially at times like these.”

Brink taught at the school for over 35 years. He graduated from Princeton in 1972, and joined the faculty at the Harvard School for Boys in 1978. He served as a football coach, baseball coach and science teacher. In 1985, he won the Garrett Hardin Award for early promise in teaching.

The Science Department hung a picture of Brink on the office door, and students surrounded it with Post-its.

“It took a while for it to sink in because his passing was so unexpected,” Mollie Berger ’16 said. “It’s nice to know you have a community to support you. Losing a favorite teacher is a different kind of loss.”